Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet “many more times,” files reveal

President Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet “many more times” than previously reported, according to files released by the Department of Justice.

The DOJ released a second tranche of documents on Monday after its initial disclosures on Friday. The Washington Post reported that the documents, including an email from an assistant U.S. attorney about the number of times Trump flew on Epstein’s jet, were available for several hours on Monday afternoon but appeared to have been taken down around 8 p.m.

Newsweek has contacted the DOJ for comment through a contact form on its website and the White House via an email sent outside regular business hours.

Why It Matters

The U.S. Department of Justice is facing mounting criticism after releasing only some of its files related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender and wealthy financier who was known for his ties to some of the world’s most powerful people, including Trump. Epstein died in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act—which Congress passed and Trump, under pressure from his fellow Republicans, signed on November 19—mandated the release of most of the files within 30 days.

But the government’s partial release of the files and redactions to the documents it has disclosed have angered Democrats, who accuse the Trump administration of trying to hide information. DOJ officials acknowledged the release was incomplete, saying some documents were withheld to protect victims and that files would continue to be released in the coming days.

What To Know

According to the Post, the documents allegedly show a subpoena was sent to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 for records pertaining to the government’s case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

One of the alleged documents purports to be an email from an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York about a review of flight records as part of the government’s case against Maxwell. The apparent email was dated January 8, 2020, less than two weeks before the end of Trump’s first term.

The email alleged, “For your situational awareness, wanted to let you know that the flight records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware), including during the period we would expect to charge in a Maxwell case.”

Trump was listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, including at least four where Maxwell was also present.

On one of the flights in 1993, the only passengers listed were Epstein, Trump and a 20-year-old woman, the email alleged. On two other flights, there were passengers who could be called as possible witnesses in a case against Maxwell.

“We’ve just finished reviewing the full records (more than 100 pages of very small script) and didn’t want any of this to be a surprise down the road,” the email continued.

Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before they had a falling-out, has said he did not know about Epstein’s crimes. For months, he repeatedly described the public interest in the case as the result of a Democratic hoax before reversing his position and signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law.

The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and he has said there is nothing to see in the files. Being mentioned in the files does not indicate criminal wrongdoing.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump, commenting on the release of the files, told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Monday: “Everybody was friendly with this guy, either friendly or not friendly. … He was all over Palm Beach and other places.”

He added: “I don’t like the pictures of Bill Clinton being shown. I don’t like the pictures of other people being shown. I think it’s a terrible thing. I think Bill Clinton’s a big boy; he can handle it. But you probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago, and they’re highly respected bankers and lawyers and others.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on NBC’s Meet the Press that the administration would not remove mentions of Trump in the files as they continue to be released: “We are not redacting information around President Trump, around any other individual involved with Mr. Epstein. And that narrative, which is not based on fact at all, is completely false.”

The Department of Justice addressed why some files had been published then removed in a fact sheet posted on X on Sunday: “As material is released, the Department of Justice has received incoming from individuals alleging to be victims and their lawyers, requesting that certain information be removed. Out of an abundance of caution, the material is temporarily removed for review and will be released again with appropriate redactions if legally required.”

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said of Trump administration officials on CBS’s Face the Nation: “They’re flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It’s very troubling, the posture that they’ve taken. And I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied.”